Best Budget Bites: $6 ‘Big Slice’ From Lucca Pizzeria

What happened to truth in advertising? (The 'Big Slice' is actually two pretty big slices.)

12:05 PM CDT on October 15, 2024

Jay Boller

The cost of things these days? Far too expensive! Inflation, supply chain, giddy price gouging from proprietors large and small—the boring factors are too numerous to count. To protect our readers, Racket launched the Best Budget Bites series, where we’ll showcase a toothsome, wallet-friendly food item that’ll actually fill you up for less than $10. Have a nomination? Hit us up: tips@racketmn.com.

What: "Big Slice" pizza
Where: Pizzeria Lucca, 7250 Cedar Lake Rd. S., St. Louis Park
Cost: $6 ($1 extra per topping)
Availability: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. (closed Mondays)

With a shop the size of Racket, reader suggestions go a long way. There's not a lot of time for vetting Best Budget Bites contenders as the four of us dart around, Mr. Burns and Smithers-style, keeping this spinning plate of a news org in rotation. In this instance, a reader tip sent us all the way from south Minneapolis to St. Louis Park to check out Pizzeria Lucca, a strip-mall spot that reportedly gets a lotta love in the local pizza-freak FB group.

His compelling pitch for PL's "Big Slice" special included the following three-point argument...

1. These aren't pre-cooked slices sitting in a warmer. They are freshly made on the spot and ready in a matter of minutes.
2. They are HUGE. They call it a slice, but honest to god what you leave with is about the size and weight of a premium 12-inch frozen pizza.
3. The quality. I'm not good at adjectives, but the crust is both crunchy and fluffy—a very solid yet appealing base. And they are generous with the toppings. The sauce (I order extra) is fresh and zesty (but not over spiced and scorchy, like many pizza shops have).

Our man might not be an adjective wizard, but goddammit, he's an astute judge of pizza properties. Let's begin with the crust, which is indeed a remarkable puffy/crispy hybrid. The initial snap zigs you into thinking it's a cracker crust scenario, but then—ZAG!—you're in delightfully chewy dough town. And this sucker really is straight outta the oven; following a five-minute drive to a nearby picnic spot, our boxed beauty remained pipin' hot.

Speaking of that pizza box, our so-called "Big Slice" was in fact two large slices that, together, approximated the size of a small pie, enough to fill half the container. The tipster wasn't exaggerating his "huge" adjective—this thing is the size of a frolf disc. The generosity, to further validate this BBB suggestion, doesn't stop there: Towering hunks of apparently hand-formed, fennel-specked Italian sausage occupy every inch of real estate, popping with genuine heat; the mildly zingy sauce balanced sweetness with acidity admirably; and gooey, stretchy, oven-kissed cheese cascaded over the whole operation.

The cherry on top? The no-nonsense fellow behind the counter (who seemed to be working solo that day) took my money, prepared my pizza, and called me "boss" as he thanked me and sent me on my way. Made me feel like a big man with a big slice!

Brittany Garcia launched Pizzeria Lucca in 2020, right as the pandemic hit, and managed to power through it with the promise of "authentic family recipes and the freshest ingredients." (The menu's sandwiches and pasta bakes look great, too.) We'll dig deep into our voluminous adjective bag and confer upon PL a doozy: really good!